Russian surface-to-air missile. The Antey-2500 was a new generation of the S-300V, capable of shooting down re-entry vehicles of IRBMs of up to 2500 km range.

The system could track simultaneously 24 low radar cross section aerial targets, or 16 re-entry vehicles of 0.02 square meter radar cross section coming in at speeds of 4500 m/s. The system was equipped with the modernised 9M82M and 9M83M missiles. These had the same mass and dimensions as the earlier missiles, but were equipped with improved guidance systems. They were capable of successfully intercepting even intensively manoeuvring targets. The 9M82M would be assigned by the system to re-entry vehicles and aircraft or cruise missile targets up to 200 km away. The 9M83M would be assigned to closer targets. It took ten years to develop this system after the go-ahead. A division of Antey-2500 missiles would consist of:

One 9S15M2 circular observation radar

One 9S19M sector observation radar

One 9S457M command point

Four 9S32M MSNR

24 9A93M PU

24 9A84M PZU

48 9M82M surface-to-air missiles with 200 km range

96 9M83M shorter range surface-to-air missiles

Maximum target speed, 3 km/sec. Reaction time 28 seconds. 5 minutes time to set-up or depart launch site for shoot-and-scoot. 24 targets can be tracked, and four missiles guided simultaneously to 4 seperate targets. 96-192 missiles per firing unit depending on mix.

Antey-2500 The Antey-2500 was a new generation of the S-300V, capable of shooting down re-entry vehicles of IRBMs of up to 2500 km range. More...

Russian SAMs and ABMs Perhaps no missiles ever produced had as much historical influence as the surface-to-air missiles of the Soviet Union. Originally conceived to provide a defence against the American bomber fleets of the early Cold War, they decisively affected the turn of events when they shot down American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft over Russia and Cuba. Soviet-provided missiles accounted for a hundred American aircraft over North Vietnam and set the terms of the air battle. A new generation of missiles presented a huge technological surprise and took an awful toll of Israeli aircraft in the 1973 war. To this day, Russian surface-to-air missiles provide the only defence available to most countries against American bombers, and Russian man-portable anti-aircraft missiles are a major part of the terrorist threat. More...